Skull
Major Contributor
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2024
- Messages
- 677
Totally correct
Amp Ultra vs Ultra/Vibelink?
- Thread starter midnightlightning
- Start date
£39 at amazon
Skull
Major Contributor
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2024
- Messages
- 677
My bad fat fingers
midnightlightning
Member
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2025
- Messages
- 12
Thanks for all the replies, very helpful and much appreciated.
I'll make a choice for you then.
Amp Ultra.
You're welcome
Amp Ultra.
You're welcome
I am in a similar position deciding which way to go!
The Amp ultra is slightly more powerful, according to true technical measurements recently released, as it has twin Ti amp chips. (although WiiM will not confirm how they are implemented) WiiM has decided to measure each in a slightly different way, and listing them both with the same power! The range hierarchy is slightly odd and haphazard as you pay perhaps an additional cost (USP for existing Ultra owners!) for the Vibelink as it matches the ultra, but it in fact doesn't, being a slightly different colour, size and volume knob alignment! The colour and volume knob is sloppy, as it had no cost implication. Why!
I suspect they will sound similar, I think the Vibelink is slightly over priced in the UK/Europe as it is $299 (£220) in the US and £319 in the UK. But once the existing Ultra owners have purchased and sales slow a bit, it will likely be on sale. Although they have already updated it, as it now has the colour coded banana plug terminals (as the Amp Ultra) They will likely improve colour matching as new batches are produced too, but the volume knob misalignment you may have to live with.
The Amp ultra is slightly more powerful, according to true technical measurements recently released, as it has twin Ti amp chips. (although WiiM will not confirm how they are implemented) WiiM has decided to measure each in a slightly different way, and listing them both with the same power! The range hierarchy is slightly odd and haphazard as you pay perhaps an additional cost (USP for existing Ultra owners!) for the Vibelink as it matches the ultra, but it in fact doesn't, being a slightly different colour, size and volume knob alignment! The colour and volume knob is sloppy, as it had no cost implication. Why!
I suspect they will sound similar, I think the Vibelink is slightly over priced in the UK/Europe as it is $299 (£220) in the US and £319 in the UK. But once the existing Ultra owners have purchased and sales slow a bit, it will likely be on sale. Although they have already updated it, as it now has the colour coded banana plug terminals (as the Amp Ultra) They will likely improve colour matching as new batches are produced too, but the volume knob misalignment you may have to live with.
Thanks
Leaving aside exchange rates, sales taxes etc, here's a little table I put together to guess at what the Amp Ultra might cost in the UK and AU based on existing known prices. As I said, leaving aside currency etc, the UK number is consistently 20 more than the USA number for the more recent kit, while the AU number is close to 175% of the USA number and the EU 70 more than the USA. Just guesses though...
Whereas I know (to me) they are indistinguishable.
3 key reasons why some might say the ultra/vibelink pairing is better, but why I think the amp ultra is better.
Best of all, as they are my reasons no one can say I'm wrong.
Misguided maybe, but not wrong.
1) Vibelink has a pure analog input, no adc applied.
Yet I think the vibelink analog input sounds significantly worse than digital. For me this makes the possibility of using an external dac (or even the ultra dac) or full analog path (e.g. vinyl bypassing the ultra) a moot point.
2) Ultra has a headphone socket.
While I have said, and still think, the ultra's headphone output is good for a device at this price point along with everything else it offers, any 'serious' headphone listener will want better. And better can be had for not a lot of money. Hoorah for usb out.
3) Separates / flexibility.
I can fully appreciate the flexibility two units provide, and agree. But...
If one of the two units is the vibelink then compared to the amp ultra the actual amplification part is (almost) the same. Well, sound wise I cannot tell them apart, so the same is close enough. An ultra and something completely different I get, but an ultra + vibelink vs an amp ultra... six of one and half a dozen of the other.
Although separates does allow you to mix things up / move things around later on. So maybe a draw here after all.
Regardless, whichever you choose I doubt you'll be disappointed, so enjoy!
Skull
Major Contributor
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2024
- Messages
- 677
Separate units is the draw for me as my experience with Sonos has soured me on one box solutionsWhereas I know (to me) they are indistinguishable.
3 key reasons why some might say the ultra/vibelink pairing is better, but why I think the amp ultra is better.
Best of all, as they are my reasons no one can say I'm wrong.
Misguided maybe, but not wrong.
1) Vibelink has a pure analog input, no adc applied.
Yet I think the vibelink analog input sounds significantly worse than digital. For me this makes the possibility of using an external dac (or even the ultra dac) or full analog path (e.g. vinyl bypassing the ultra) a moot point.
2) Ultra has a headphone socket.
While I have said, and still think, the ultra's headphone output is good for a device at this price point along with everything else it offers, any 'serious' headphone listener will want better. And better can be had for not a lot of money. Hoorah for usb out.
3) Separates /flexibility.
I can fully appreciate the flexibility two units provide, and agree. But...
If one of the two units is the vibelink then compared to the amp ultra the actual amplification part is (almost) the same. Well, sound wise I cannot tell them apart, so the same is close enough. An ultra and something completely different I get, but an ultra + vibelink vs an amp ultra... six of one and half a dozen of the other.
Although separates does allow you to mix things up / move things around later on. So maybe a draw here after all.
Regardless, whichever you choose I doubt you'll be disappointed, so enjoy!
I can swap parts out if problems arise the only part that is causing me issues are my speaker choice
That is the only part I intend to keep whatever happens as I am going floor standing and don’t live in a large house so cannot repurpose them
Seeing as you already have the ultra, the vibelink makes perfect sense.
Now, how about a new thread to help you buy your forever floorstanders...
We excel at spending others' hard earned.
midnightlightning
Member
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2025
- Messages
- 12
Do you have a link to the response?
For this installment, I sat down with the Product Manager behind the WiiM Amp Ultra to explore its design, features, and what makes it stand out among WiiM’s lineup. From room correction to...
The dual TI TPA3255 are used in parallel, so there is no power increase to be expected into 8 Ω or 4 Ω loads. A single TPA3255 can handle that well enough. The PBTL configuration will really start to shine into lower loads.
Generally speaking the dual chip configuration can also potentially provide a lower output impedance, but then there are also the output filter coils and the PFFB implementation ...
Obviously, WiiM did not even attempt to pick a PSU powerful enough to double the power output into 2 Ω compared to 4 Ω. This would surely have required a much bigger case, for cooling and for the PSU itself.
Still waiting for more detailed measurements.
slartibartfast
Major Contributor
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2024
- Messages
- 4,036
He would say that wouldn't he?
midnightlightning
Member
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2025
- Messages
- 12
Thanks, I got it the wrong way around - now corrected (hopefully).
Similar threads
- Question